Lot 91
ROMAN SILVER BAPTISM SPOON
ST. NEOTS, ENGLAND, 3RD CENTURY A.D.
Auction: 26 November 2026 from 14:00 GMT
Description
silver, with handle and bowl connected by a ‘rat tail’, the bowl inscribed with DIV VIVAS “may you live a long time”
Dimensions
16cm long
Provenance
Discovered 1989, St. Neots, England;
Timeline Auctions, London, Antiquities and Coins, 24th May 2016, lot 342
Private collection, United Kingdom
Registered with the Portable Antiquities Scheme reference number CAM-DF2EAC
Footnote
The present piece was found in farmland in Cambridgeshire, eastern England, in the late 1980s. It was subsequently reported under the Treasure Trove system before being returned to the finder. It was recorded with the Portable Antiquities Scheme under reference number CAM-DF2EAC; and is accompanied by a printout of the PAS report.
Close parallels may be found in the Canterbury Hoard, a collection of late Roman silver vessels and objects discovered in Canterbury, Kent. Published by Johns and Potter in 1985, the hoard includes several spoons bearing inscriptions that are thought to reflect early Christian beliefs. One example is inscribed ‘PIVMVIVAS’, providing a useful comparison with the present piece. Inscriptions containing ‘VIVAS’ (‘may you live’) are generally associated with early Christianity and may express the hope of spiritual renewal and eternal life. The inscription ‘DIV VIVAS’ on the present spoon may similarly represent a Christian invocation, potentially linking the object to baptism and its symbolism of spiritual rebirth.
Cf. Johns, C.M. & Potter, T.W., ‘The Canterbury Late Roman Treasure’, Antiquaries Journal, vol. LXV, 1985, item U.3, plate LIII.